Where the Crows and Ravens Sing
by frostforge44
Summary: Raven Tano Relecno is the kind of girl looking for what everyone wants: Acceptance. All she wants is a friend. A person only to actually care. When she overhears from her parents of someone named 'Once-ler' who is hidden away from the world and all alone, she goes out of Thneedville to find him, maybe to give him some companionship and get some in return. Set 5 years before movie.
1. A Grandfather To Know

**Hello, this is my first fanfiction in the Lorax fandom, so please be gentle with the story. I just thought this would be a cute little story to write up since I watched the movie a few months ago. I never really thought to put it up until now, so I hope you enjoy. I don't own The Lorax or it's characters, only my OC. I hope you enjoy!**

My name is Raven Tano Relecno. I know, weird name right? Well, there's a reason I have the name, but it involves a tale. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the story. Its gonna be a long one, I guarantee it.

It all started some time ago. I was in a classroom 'taking notes' on the 'glorious' corporation owned by the 'great' Mr. O'Hare. Pfft. More like a 'great' joke.

"And that, children, is how the foundation of O'Hare was founded, giving us fresh air through the smog we still live in today," Miss Maroo, our seventh grade teacher, wrote on the board.

The other children were quietly taking notes. I was doing something much better while taking notes.

While my left hand was taking the notes, my right hand was doodling in my sketchbook, jotting down new invention ideas and such. I've had this dream when I was little to become an inventor. Maybe even put that shorty out of business once and for all.

"Miss Relecno!" I snapped my head up, my raven-colored hair sweeping across my light blue eyes. I inwardly rolled them as Ms. Maroo glared at my sketchbook with disdain in her eyes.

"I do not appreciate how you're disrespecting our mayor by ignoring his history and…and drawing meaningless pictures! Put it away before I take it away!"

"Yes, ma'am," I sighed irritably, closing my sketchbook and sliding it into my satchel.

"Now then-" The school bell, thank goodness, rang. Ms. Maroo huffed and announced, "We'll pick this up on Monday. Remember that the final exam is next Friday and then summer vacation. Have a good weekend, everyone!"

"Yes!" I grinned, snatching up my satchel and rushing right out the door. Yeah. I did not like school.

I got teased and scolded at because all I really did was draw in my sketchbook. I had to have gone throughout at least seven in my entire lifetime. But what did they all know? They just don't appreciate genius when they see it.

It was a normal day, the citizens either relaxing in the park, conversing in the café or watching their children play with the artificial trees. I rushed home as fast as I could with my long legs. I don't know where I got them from, but I wasn't complaining. I got places and I got there fast.

I ran and ran as fast as I could, looking around the city of Thneedville to see if I could find anything different or at least worth drawing. I got that inspiration when I looked directly at the town square.

I stopped abruptly in my tracks at what I saw. A little blonde girl dressed in green and looked no older than four, giggling and squealing as an elderly man bounced her in his lap. He was grinning like a maniac at the reaction he was getting from her.

"I wuv you, Gwandpa!" She threw her arms around the man's neck in a warm hug. The girl's grandfather smiled warmly at her and hugged her back.

"I love ya too, Buttercup."

Seeing that made my eyes a little misty, I can tell you that. I can't say I've never had a grandfather. I've only one and his name is Mort.

However, he isn't really what anybody would call 'grandfatherly'. He's never held me in his lap when I was younger nor did he ever give me a cutesy nickname like any other grandfather would.

Now, I'll admit that I'm not into all that mushy stuff too much, but it's not the substance, it's the principle of the thing. I want something like a grandfather that makes me feel special. Maybe not even a grandfather, but someone, anyone really, that gets me. I like doing what I do now and I want someone who can accept me and care about me despite what I do.

Is that really too much to ask? To ask for just one person to be your friend, maybe even family when you feel all alone in the world?

A grave sigh escaped my lips and I blinked my eyes, trying to dismiss the possible future tears that may come. I then ran back to my home as fast as I could, just wanting to be alone for the time being.

* * *

"Mom! Dad! Grandpa Mort! Grandma Helen! I home!" I yelled entering my home and kicking it shut.

I rushed up the stairs and into my room, where I flopped on my bed and kicked off my shoes. I opened up my sketchbook and began to draw again. It was just something I've never gotten tired of doing!

Someone knocked at the door to my bedroom, making me almost sigh in irritation.

"Enter," I said, not stopping my newest drawing.

"Hey, honey," Dad entered the room, his black, graying hair swooping across his forehead above his chocolate brown eyes. "I brought you some cookies."

My eyes snapped open and looked at the tray in his arms in wonder, "Marshmallow chocolate chip?"

He chuckled, setting the plate down on the nightstand, "What else?"

I snatched one and gobbled it down, letting the sweet blend of marshmallow and chocolate melt in my mouth. Dad took a bite out of his cookie and sat down on the bed, taking my sketchbook and looking through it. He had to have done that every day since he knows I come up with new drawings every day of my life.

He arched his eyebrows at my latest drawing. It was of the little girl with a large grin on her face as the grandfather bounced her in his lap.

"And what made you think of drawing this, young lady?" He showed me the picture.

I took a large gulp of my second cookie and pulled my legs into my chest, murmuring, "No reason, really."

My dad frowned and put a firm, gentle hand on my shoulder, "Raven Tano Relecno. I know you better than that. What's the matter?"

_How did my dad know me like that? _I thought, smiling while shaking my head. I sighed and just blurted out, "I want to know more about my grandfather!"

He shot back a bit at my sudden answer, but seemed to recompose himself as he replied, "Well, your Grandpa Mort was a sailor long ago in his youth-"

I put a hand up to stop him, "Not what I meant, Dad. I know about Mom's father, but I wanna know about your father.I know he's dead and all, but can I please know _something_ about him? I don't even know his name! Please?"

His eyes widened suddenly and he stood up from the bed.

"Sorry, honey. I can't tell you. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't."

With that, he just went up and left the room without another word. A tear fell from my eye as I slammed my face in my pillow and screamed a muffled scream.

_That's what you say every time I ask, _I thought sadly.


	2. New Hope and a Will to Show

**Hello again! Off to a bit of a slow start, but you know what? I have a story to tell and whether other people like this story or not, I'm finishing it. So, I do not own the Lorax. I own only Raven, her family, and Bridget. Have a nice day! **

I picked at my lasagna with a fork boringly, giving out a sigh as I took a bite out of it, chewing it slowly and swallowing.

My mom, who had dark brown hair and brown eyes, and my Grandma Helen, who had dark grey hair and green eyes, ate their pasta with great enthusiasm. My father and Grandpa Mort, who had thinning white hair and cold brown eyes, at theirs slowly, calmly, and without any emotion.

I took the last bite of my pasta and sighed, standing up with my plate, "I'm going to bed. I don't feel too well."

"Oh, honey!" Mom gasped, looking at me worriedly. "Are you all right? Do I need to come check on you?"

"I'm fine, Mom," I started towards the kitchen with my dishes in hand. "I'm just tired."

"Well…okay, honey. Good night," she smiled a little and went back to her meal. I set my things in the sink and slumped up the stairs.

"G'night," I said entering my room and falling face first onto the bed.

"What am I going to do Bridget?"

This probably needs a little bit of an explanation. Bridget is basically my first invention. I made her when I was five and made improvement after improvement over the years and here she is now. I created her in the form of a Swomee Swan. Don't ask where I found out about them, I don't even think I'm supposed to know about them. All I really know is that they used to live around here, but left for some reason.

The robotic Swomee Swan blinked its silver, metallic eyes and let out a mechanical squawk. She made a sullen face and rubbed her side roughly against me in comfort. Yeah. I said I made improvements over the years, I never said all the bugs were out.

"Thanks, Bridget!" I wheezed, picking her up off of me. I got up and changed out of my clothes and put on my dark blue nightgown.

"This can't go on, Nathan. We can't risk Raven seeing this!"

_Mom? _I heard her voice through the door. I approached the door and pushed it open a little and put my ear to the crack.

"Bridget. Record this," I whispered. She extended her neck and opened her bill, revealing a speaker that would record any sound she could hear.

"I know, dear," dad replied to her. "It's just not safe. She'll get one look at this and just start asking questions. And whether we give her answers or not, she'll just investigate herself. We have to get rid of it."

_Get rid of what? _I furrowed my eyebrows and shut one eye, using my other light blue one to peek through the door.

Dad was setting something like a manila folder on the kitchen table as he said, "We'll take care of it early in the morning before she wakes up. She doesn't even know about this will yet."

_A will? What does a will have to do with me? _I thought, pulling away from the door. Whatever was in that folder obviously had something to do with me and whether they know it or not, I'm going to find out.

"I'm going to check on her. She did look a little under the weather," mom said, starting to walk up the stairs.

_If they never find out I was listening, _I panicked, jumping into bed.

"Bridget! Sleep mode!" I whisper yelled, diving under the blanket and pretending to be asleep.

Bridget closed her bill and shot her neck back to her body, tucking it under her orange, metal wing just as mom opened the door slightly. I shut my eyes and breathed lightly as she stepped towards my bed and sat at the edge.

"I'm so sorry for this, Raven," I heard her murmur. "But that man is just not for you to interact with. I don't know what was going through that woman's head, but it will just be better not knowing him at all."

I felt her kiss my forehead and get up off the bed. The room darkened and the door clicked as it closed the whole way.

I sat up abruptly and furrowed my eyebrows, _A _man_? What does that have to do with me?_

I laid down, keeping my eyes open the whole time. I don't know how long it was until I checked the clock on my nightstand. It read 11:35 p.m.

"Time to do some investigating," I whispered, slowly stepping out of bed and tip-toeing toward the door. I slowly twisted the handle and pulled the door back ever so quietly.

"Psst! Bridget!" I whisper shouted, looking over my shoulder. She pulled her head out from under her wing and shook her body before hopping off of her charger nest and stealthily trotted over to my side. "There's a manila folder on the kitchen table. I need you to get it for me and bring it back. Do you understand?"

Bridget tilted her head and chirped. I slapped a hand against my forehead and sighed, "Just get the paper on the kitchen table, please."

Bridget squawked and extended her neck, her head going out the door and over the railing to the downstairs. I winced as something made a thud on the floor, probably because of you-know-who.

More startled chirps and dull thuds were frequent and I couldn't help but run a hand down my face.

"I really need to fix that night vision program. And navigation, while I'm at it," I muttered to myself as Bridget's head finally came back into the room, the manila folder in her bill.

"Good girl," I cheered silently, patting her head as I took the folder from her bill and jumped onto the bed. "Bridget. Flashlight, please."

The mechanical Swomee Swan blinked her eyes, silver when she closed them, then both of them balls of light when she opened them. She looked around the room until I pulled on her neck to make them look over the will inside as I opened the folder.

_On this, my final will and testament, I, Fiona Flora Willard, hereby give the following possessions to the following people in mention. _

"Fiona Willard. That was my grandma. On dad's side of the family," I said to myself. I kept on reading. Blah blah blah. Nothing too interesting. At least, of course, until I got near the bottom of the page.

"…_Finally, I leave custody and care, if no other relative should be alive, of my dear granddaughter, Raven Tano Relecno, to my friend, helper and employer, the Once-ler."_

"'The Once-ler'? Who the heck is the Once-ler?" I asked looking at Bridget. She looked at me in the eye, her flashlight eyes still on. I swatted at my hand over her eyes, "Flashlight off. Flashlight off!"

Everything was white for a moment, my temporary blindness having me blink and blink like there was no tomorrow. Once my vision returned to me, I took another look at the will. Whoever this Once-ler was, he obviously is something interesting if my parents don't want me going near him. Meh, interesting, suspicious and dangerous, they all mean the same thing. All I knew was that I had to meet him.

I looked through the folder and saw addresses for everyone in the will, including the Once-ler's.

"_Far outside of Thneedville, where the grass never grows and the wind smells slow and sour as it blows. And no birds ever sing, excepting old crows."_

I looked up from the paper and arched my eyebrows.

"Why does everything with my grandma have to rhyme?"

I shrugged and lifted Bridget's wing, putting the will under there first and then closing.

"All right, Bridget. Let's make a copy of these two," Bridget's wing glowed green, then ran up and down the paper before producing a quiet 'ding' sound. A paper came out of her other wing and fell to the floor. I took the will then put the Once-ler's address and made a copy of that as well.

"You know what, Bridget?" I said, putting the papers neatly back in the folder. I walked towards the window and looked outside into the night. Bridget walked next to me and jumped onto the windowsill. "I think we should pay this 'Once-ler' a visit. First thing tomorrow morning."


	3. Exiting the City

**Hello again! Let me just be the first to say thank you to our first reviewer, bellechat! Thank you for the encouragement and I'll be sure to make this a good story for you guys. I don't own The Lorax or its characters. I only own Raven, her family, and Bridget. Have a nice day!**

I snuck downstairs early the next morning, at about 6:50, and set the manila folder with the copied documents inside instead of the originals. I felt it would be better to keep the originals instead of the copies.

I blew out a breath of air and took out some fresh, marshmallow chocolate chip cookie dough and kneaded it and kneaded it. I then rolled them into balls and set them on a platter.

"No harm in bringing a peace offering with me," I said to myself, wiping the grease on my apron. I took it off and washed myself off and set the platter in front of Bridget.

"Bridget. Heat o' Matic, if you please."

Bridget's eyes glowed red and shot at the platter a blast of reddish orange heat. The circles of dough quickly flattened and turned from a pale brown to a golden color. She turned off the heat and smiled at her handiwork, giving out a squawk in satisfaction.

"Good girl," I cooed, reaching into my pocket. I pulled out a thin tube of plastic filled with oil. "And what do good girls get?"

Bridget's eyes widened and she jumped up and down on the counter. She made chirping noises as she looked at the worm-shaped oil sack excitedly.

"Enjoy, ya lil' bird bot," I chuckled, tossing the oil worm up in the air. Bridget shot her neck up and snapped at the snack, gobbling it down her throat with a satisfied click.

"Raven?" I panicked a little and turned around to see Grandma Helen standing at the kitchen entrance. "What are you doing up so early?"

"Uh…" I droned out. Yeah. I also wasn't too good with lying on the spot. "I have a good reason why I'm up and down here so early and it's…well…"

Grandma Helen put her hand up to stop me, "No need to explain. I know what's going on."

_The jig's up, _I blew out a breath of air and looked at her, trying to look innocent.

"You're cooking for a young man, aren't you?" She smiled knowingly at me.

_Not what I was thinking, but let's work with it, _I sighed and my shoulders slumped, "Is it really that obvious?"

Okay, now I'll admit that I have hardly any interest in the opposite sex, but at my age, it was the ultimate excuse to do stuff in secrecy.

"Oh, how exciting!" Grandma Helen rushed to me and threw her arms around my shoulders. "Your first crush! You need to tell me everything!"

I panicked again and gestured frantically with one hand, "Uh…Love to, Granny Helen, but the cookies…!"

"Oh! Right! Go, go!" She said pulling away. "Oh, how adorable this is! This was exactly how your father first flirted with your mother! Tell me how it went when you get back!"

"Will do!" I yelled, putting on my dark turquoise jacket. Hey, it may be close to summer, but it can get cold at night. If the Once-ler did live far outside of town like the paper said, I might not get back until late. "C'mon, Bridget! We gotta get going!"

Bridget craned her neck and snatched a plastic bag out of one of the kitchen drawers. Using one of her wings, she scooped them into the bag and zipped it shut. She carried them in her beak as she rushed after me out the door.

"Bike mode, Bridget!" I shouted, skidding to a stop on the sidewalk.

Bridget jumped over me with a squawk and landed right at the curb. She spread her wings, both of which bended sharply and curved slightly to form handles. Her tail feathers stiffened and pushed forward, making a seat. Finally, her long legs curved and curved and grew into thick tires, making the wheels.

I opened up the door on the back and took out my teal helmet and goggles. I took out a orange pillow and sat it on the seat, for comfort of course.

"Ready, Bridget?" I asked setting my goggles over my eyes. I grabbed the 'handles' and turned them multiple times, each time the engine giving out a loud purr. "Yup. You're ready."

* * *

"Hmm. This is going to be difficult," I muttered to myself, looking up the wall of Thneedville. The metal wall itself looked much too thick to actually try to get through and going under would take too long. So, it looked like going over was the only way to go.

"You ready, Bridget?" I asked. She squawked and rustled her neck. "All right. Activate Magno-Talons."

Bridget's wheels turned back into feet and grew magnetic talons. This has to be my most favorite feature I've ever added onto Bridget. Slowly, she lifted one foot onto the wall, sticking it into place before putting the other on. I strapped myself into the seat and sat back.

When we got to the top of the wall, which was like half an hour later, I had Bridget stop.

"Well, that's enough of that slow, safe stuff. Let's do this!" I exclaimed letting go of the brakes.

Bridget let out a startled squawk as we started sliding down the metal wall. She quickly turned her legs back into wheels with their thick tires. Even through the smog, I could see the ground approaching fast, so I pulled on the 'handles' and I could hear Bridget's tires screech as we started to slow down. Not by much though.

"Brace for impact!" I slammed my eyes shut as the ground came closer and closer to us.

A harsh crash racked at me and I'm pretty sure Bridget, as well. I opened one eye and looked around, then opened the other wide in shock.

Even though it was only morning, the smog had practically smothered the sky, which blotted out the sun and made it seem like the day was just about to enter night. I have to say it was creepy, but not as creepy as the rest of the wasteland in front of me. Weird looking stumps stuck out of the ground everywhere, only their creepiness being amplified by the smog that drifted on the ground.

I shuddered in unpleasantness, "C'mon, Bridget. Let's find this guy and get out of here."

I had to say that the scenery didn't get any prettier the further we went in. It seemed like the further we left town, the more I felt there should be signs that say 'I'd turn back if I were you.'

As we crossed a bridge, I noticed gooey, black sludge underneath it. The bubbles blew out gas when it popped.

"Ugh," I shook my head, disgusted by the very odor. It was pretty bitter, but not sour like the address said it would be. We were definitely not there yet.

"No wonder nobody ever comes out here," I muttered looking all around.

Bridget squawked in fright and slammed on her brakes, making me nearly fly forward off of her.

"Bridget! What is the matter with you?!" I snapped, turning around only to come face to face with something sharp. _Very _sharp.

"Whoa!" I yelped, backing up Bridget. I squinted at the strange object and slowly slid my goggles up onto my forehead. "What the...?"

_An axe? If I went any further, that thing would've had my head. Whatever this thing is. How could an axe be hanging in mid-air?_

I looked hard at the axe, then down its handle until I got my answer. It seemed like the axe was attached to some sort of contraption. Whatever the heck it was, it was creepy and almost sliced and diced me.

"Let's go through this nice and slow, Bridget," I whispered, sliding my goggles back over my eyes and urged her forward slightly. Hesitantly, she complied and slowly went forward. We easily evaded the axes along with with strange machines they were attached to.

Once we got past the strange machines, there was a bit of fog in the air. Now, whether it was morning fog or it was smog I couldn't tell, but it smelled horrible.

I screeched Bridget to a stop as we found yet another obstacle in our way. "You've gotta be kidding."

It had to be a ravine about sixty feet across with a long drop to the bottom. Bridget's engine purred and roared viciously and I knew pretty well what that meant.

"Bridget. No, no, no. Don't even-WHOA!" Bridget took off towards the edge of the ravine, not slowing down or backing up. "Bridget!"

I slammed my eyes shut and waited for our inevitable doom. A few seconds went past but I didn't feel us falling. I opened my eyes and saw we were on the other side of the ravine with no scratch on us whatsoever. I looked at Bridget both surprised and suspicious.

"What did you do?" I looked at the mechanical Swomee Swan.

Bridget honked and lifted a leg, which extended, only getting longer and longer until it got to about forty feet.

"You sneaky little robot!" I teased, patting her head. "I thought those things would never come in handy."

* * *

From there on in, I had to say that the rest of the ride was fairly uneventful. No real obstacles blocked our way yet it didn't seem like we were getting any closer. At least, until we came across some signs.

"Hmm. 'Beware. Danger. No entry! Stay out. I mean it!' Huh. Seems like this guy goes at great lengths to keep people away. Not me, though," I mused. I did, however, think to myself, _Still. Gotta give him props for intimidation. It looks so creepy._

Bridget squawked nervously and tried to turn herself around, but I got the better of her. "C'mon, ya scaredy bot! We've already come this far-Hey. What's that?"

I saw a little light shining through all the smog and edged towards it warily. It appeared to be a sort of lamppost.

"'The Street of the Lifted Lorax,'" I read off the sign.

Flapping wings filled my hearing before two crows fluttered onto the post. They turned their heads to me and seemed to narrow their eyes at me and caw loudly at me. It was almost as if they were warning the both of us to get away while we could.

_Hmm. We're far away from town. The crows are here singing. _I took a whiff of the air and cringed. _And the air is definitely slow and sour. This must be the place._

Bridget honked and went to turn around, as if listening to the crows. I pulled on her wings and made her go forward.

"Don't worry, Bridget," I soothed, stroking her metallic neck. "We're almost there-Whoa. Look."

Bridget went forward a bit and stopped. There was a iron fence not too far from the lamppost along with a mailbox and a sign, though it looked too damaged to actually read. The gates on the fence were wrapped in chains, indicating it was locked up for good, until I saw a large hole in the fence.

I took off my helmet and swung my leg over Bridget, getting off of her while taking off my goggles as well. I set them in the back door of Bridget and closed it tight.

"C'mon, Bridget," I whispered, entering the hole in the fence with only slight hesitation.

Bridget turned back into her normal form and chirped fearfully, but followed me nonetheless. I turned constantly, trying to find any indication that a human being lived here. It looked like anything that could live would die early here, though.

Bridget honked and backed away in fear all of a sudden. I turned to her with an irritated sigh, "What now?"

She lifted a shaky wing and pointed behind me. I turned my head to look behind me, but then snapped my whole body at the sight of probably the most intimidating house I have ever seen in my life.

The color of the tall, thin, worn-down house was white, but who could really tell with all of those splotches of dirt all over the place? All of the windows were boarded up with wood, except for just one. The larger window at the top of the towered house had spaces between the planks of wood, each of which had a yellowish light radiating through.

"I guess he's home," I muttered stepping towards the home. One thing that stood out to me was the circle of stones, each end surrounding the large round stone that read 'UNLESS' in black letters. An odd yard decoration, to say the least.

I stepped cautiously onto the porch. I looked over my shoulder and saw Bridget still standing there shaking in her metal. She gave a shaky smile and waved, indicating she would be her backup.

I rolled my eyes and stood at the door, the top having a sign that read 'The Once-ler'. This definitely was the place. I raised a hand to knock on the door when my eyes noticed a doorbell right next to the brown entrance.

Taking in a deep breath, I closed my eyes and instantly pressed my finger to the button, causing it to give out a loud, ominous 'ding-dong'. I opened my eyes when I heard a click. The door started to shake and then flipped, revealing a mallet set on a trigger. A pair of scissors came out and was positioned over the trigger.

"Oh perfect..." I looked shockingly at the booby trap.

The scissors snipped, causing the mallet to pound on the wooden plank I was standing on, sending me flying straight into the air.

"WHOA!" I yelped as I went right over the roof and started plummeting towards the ground. Bridget squawked and started running circles under me, trying to catch me from my fall.

I grunted as I felt something snag onto my teal and black striped shirt, suspending me in mid-air. Bridget was just under me, reaching her wings up to catch me. Whatever had caught me convulsed and started pulling me upward. Bridget panicked and started jumping up to try and reach me as I was being pulled away from her.

"Who are you!?" An irritated, aged male voice angrily snapped as the thing holding me made an abrupt stop. "Who are you and why are you here?!"

I lifted my head, not knowing until now that it was hanging down, and I felt like I was looking in the mirror. Only, instead of seeing my light blue eyes, which were wide with shock and fear, the light blue eyes I looked into were narrowed with anger and bitterness.


	4. The Sealing of a Deal

**Well. I made it to chapter four and I already have two fans. They are bellechat and Invader Kiwi. I would like to thank you both for the support and encouragement. So, without further ado, let's get to the disclaimer. I do not own The Lorax or its characters. I only own Raven, her family, and Bridget. Enjoy!**

"Well!?" The hidden man's voice snapped Raven out of her stupor.

"Uh, Raven! Raven Tano Relecno!" She blabbered out, still hanging by her teal and black striped shirt. "I-I'm just here to meet-"

She squeaked a bit as the contraption holding her up shook and brought her closer to the mostly boarded window.

"What did you just say?" The voice, unlike the first time, was softer and calmer as he asked the question. His sky blue eyes opened up a little more, but they still held some bitterness and suspicion.

"Raven Tano Relecno. That's my name…?" The onyx haired pre-teen hesitated.

The mostly hidden face, though she couldn't really see it, seemed to soften and lose himself in his own thoughts. It had to go on for at least three whole minutes.

"Uh…Hello! Girl dangling from whatever I'm dangling from here!" Raven shouted, waving her arms around to get his attention.

The face shook his head and narrowed his eyes at her once again, barking, "Why are you here?! What do you want?!"

"I'm just here to meet you! My grandma said she used to work for you!" Raven exasperated, swinging side to side. It wasn't a total lie since the will had said that the Once-ler was her boss.

"Well, now you've met me," He said in a sarcastically sweet voice. Then he growled, "So get out of here! You're trespassing!"

"Hey! Not so rough!" Raven snapped as the mechanical arm holding her up lowered itself quickly to the ground.

Bridget ran to her side extended her neck, where she then grabbed Raven by her jacket and stood her to her feet.

"What is your problem?!" Raven shouted up to the hidden man. "And as far as I could tell, there was no sign that said 'No trespassing!'"

The light blue eyes glared down at her and two green gloved hands gripped onto one of the boards as he seethed, "And thanks to you, I'll be sure to put one up! Now run along! Go do…whatever it is girls your age do!"

Raven crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes up at him, "No. I came here on an errand and I am not leaving until that errand is done," she smirked as she finished, "How's _that_ for doing what girls do?"

Each thing that came out of the girl's mouth seemed to only irritate The Once-ler even more. His bottom eye twitched and his long, thin fingers clenched onto the board of wood.

"Listen here, you stubborn little pest," The Once-ler growled at her in a low voice. "I don't care that you're on an errand. I don't care that you are a Relecno! I do _not _want you here! What part of that is hard for you to understand?!"

"What does me being a Relecno have to do with anything?!" Raven bellowed at him, the sharpness in her voice easily matching his. "And _I don't care_ if you don't want me here! I'm staying until I get what I came here for!"

The Once-ler took a deep breath through his nose, and then breathed it out heavily. He looked down at the girl and said with no softening of his hissing voice, "And if I give you what you want, will you go away and leave me in peace?"

Raven smiled a bit, "Just a few questions I want answered and I will be on my merry way. I'll never come near here ever again and you'll only have yourself and your irritable bitterness if that's what you want."

"Fine!" He growled, crossing his arms in a stingy fashion. "What do you want to know?"

"Hmm. Question one: What do you do? My grandma said she used to work for you. Do you have a business or something?" Raven asked sitting down on a rock.

The Once-ler sighed heavily and replied, "Yes. I _did _have a business. It was a successful business, but that's a story for another day."

"Are you saying you wouldn't mind me being here?" Raven asked with a smirk.

"Don't push your luck, girl," The Once-ler stated blandly. "Next question. I miss my peace and quiet."

"Fair enough. Question two: Seriously. What does being a Relecno have to do with anything?"

"That's none of your business!" The aged voice snapped at her, making her put her hands up defense.

"Hey, whoa there! Personal stuff! I get it! 'Do not pry further!'" The raven-haired girl eased. "I'll just move onto the next question."

The Once-ler's green, clenched fists relaxed around the board of wood. Not by much, but still.

"Okay. Question three: And this is an important one. Exactly how do you feel about marshmallows?"

"Excuse me?" The Once-ler raised an eyebrow in complete confusion. "What kind of question is that?!"

"I don't know," Raven shrugged, unzipping the plastic bag filled with marshmallow chocolate chip cookies. "I have a strong craving for them a lot. I love eating them and my dad loves eating them. I figured if you didn't like them, then it would be so much easier to leave and never come back. Not to mention you can tell a lot about a person by the sweets they like to eat."

She took down the freshly baked cookie in one bite, "Plus I had these made for this. Think of it as a peace offering from me to you. If you want any, that is."

The mechanical arm from the side of the Once-ler's lurkim exited from its hole and went towards Raven. It stopped right in front of her, as if waiting for something to happen.

Raven took out a few cookies and handed them out to the claw, which took them in its grip. The arm slowly slithered its way up to the mostly boarded window, where The Once-ler's green gloved hand took the stack of cookies through the crack of the wooden planks.

Raven could hear chewing going on from upward before the mysterious Once-ler gave out a sigh. Not irritable or bitter like the ones before, more like a blissful sigh.

"Not half bad. Not half bad at all," He mused, taking in another cookie, or at least that's what she could hear from her spot on the rock. "You bake?"

"Mhmm. My own original recipe for marshmallow chocolate chip cookies. Mostly marshmallow, by the way. Hey, I gotta have at least one thing normal to do, but it's only rewarding when ya have someone to say how good they are."

"You don't say," The Once-ler chuckled. He shook his head and cleared his throat, "Anyway. Are you through with your questions?"

"Just one more," Raven swallowed yet another cookie. "Don't you ever get lonely out here? I mean, I know I'm a loner myself, but there's like nobody out here."

She could see the clenched fists of the Once-ler tighten once again. She also saw him blink harshly, his face more than likely scrunched in a wince.

"Yes," he answered bitterly. "It's depressing enough with the current ambiance, as you can plainly see," he used a green gloved hand to gesture to the wasteland around them, "but without any life besides my own, it only makes this place all the more abandoned and hopeless. Just like myself."

Raven had her eyes wide in horrifying shock as she swallowed her fourth cookie out of the whole bag with great difficulty. She knew this place was so desolate and lifeless, but she couldn't imagine living out here and _not _feel so lonesome, bitter, and angry. Maybe, just maybe, that's what emotions The Once-ler had felt the whole time he was out here. And by the looks of it, he was out here for quite some time.

"Oh," Raven looked down for a moment or two before looking up. From what she could tell, The Once-ler was looking down, but not at her. It was more like he was looking down at the windowsill either in deep thought or deep depression. Whichever it was, it made her sigh as she got to her feet.

"Look. I know we made a deal and all, but...you know, if you're ever looking for company or something, I'd be more than happy to drop by at any time. Really," she started nervously. The Once-ler shifted his eyes slightly so that he was looking down at her. She smirked up at him as she continued, "And hey. Even if you say no, I'm coming by anyway. Nobody should be so alone like this. Not even anyone as bitter, miserable, or cranky as you. That, and I saw how much you enjoyed my marshmallow chocolate chips."

After hearing no response, Raven merely shrugged and said, "All right. But I'll be back."

She turned and went to go set Bridget up for their departure. A sort of metallic object poked at her shoulder and she turned around to see the metallic arm being held out to her.

"And I'll be looking forward to it," The Once-ler replied. "Any more questions?"

"No. But I'll ask you when they come to me," she smiled up at the top window. "And I'll be sure to bring some more of those cookies when I do."

"Deal," the claws of the arm opened. Raven's smile widened and she grabbed onto the arm, shaking it heartily and sealing the deal.


	5. Doing Some Research

**Hey, sorry for not announcing this in the last chapter, but I'm kind of writing the rest of this story in a third person P.O.V. I'm sorry if that threw you guys off in the last chapter, but now you guys know, anyway, glad you guys are liking this so far and like you guys, I'm hoping Raven doesn't become a 'Mary Sue' as well. I'm not sure how you guys define a Mary Sue since everyone has different tastes, but according to the websites on the traits of them and how not to create them, Raven is not now nor will she ever become a Mary Sue. Now, for the disclaimer. I do not own The Lorax or its characters. I only own Raven, her family, and Bridget. Have a nice day!**

"I-I just can't believe this, Bridget," Raven exclaimed with a large smile on her face. She climbed off of the mechanical Swomme Swan and set her goggles and helmet into the trunk.

"This has to be the best win-win situation ever! I get someone that can have decent conversations and he gets the company he obviously needs. I am loving this!" She grinned as she opened the door to her home, where all of the good times might come to an end.

"Oh, there she is! Our little lady!" Granny Helen gushed as she threw her arms around her granddaughter's shoulders. "You have to tell me everything now! No! Tell me all about the boy first! No! Tell me all that went on!"

_Crud. I completely forgot! _Raven mentally slapped herself as she was led by her grandmother to the living room where she was sat down on the couch. Granny Helen sat on the chair in front of it and got herself comfortable.

"Uh, where's everyone else?" Raven asked hesitantly, Bridget hopping up onto the couch with her creator.

"Well, Mort is napping upstairs and your mom and dad are out for the evening. It's just you and me for right now," she smiled widely. "Now, tell me everything that happened with this boy."

"Sure, Granny," Raven gave a fake smile as she began, "Um, I went to the park and met with…the guy I...you know..."

Granny Helen nodded enthusiastically and silently urged her to continue.

"Well...He did enjoy the cookies and...actually, we kinda decided to just be friends. For the time being that is. Who knows, we might just end up together. We had a good time, anyway," Raven said, trying to sound a little sad, but ending her sentence with a nervous chuckle.

Granny Helen blinked at her and said, "Oh well. At least you both are friends. You should bring him by some time."

"Sure," Raven said as cheerfully as she could possibly muster with her still fake smile. "Why not? Um, Granny. Just out of curiosity, do you happen to know anything about my grandparents? You know, my dad's parents?"

"Oh!" Granny Helen's face suddenly fell. She rubbed the back of her neck as she nervously replied, "Well, I know that your grandmother Fiona was going to have custody over you when you were just a baby."

"Really?" Raven leaned forward, interested at what she was hearing. "How come?"

"Well, not too long after you were born, both your mother and father became very _very _sick. I believe it was a sort of flu going around years ago. It was taking many lives," Granny Helen gave her raven-haired granddaughter a sad sideways glance. She sighed as she continued, "Anyway, you were sent to your grandmother to stay with her. It's not like you were an inconvenience or anything of that sort, they were just afraid you would get sick as well."

"Oh," said the onyx locks as she looked away in thought. She looked back and asked, "What about my grandfather? Was he there at all? Or even alive?"

"If he were there, I didn't know it, honey," Helen answered, placing a comforting hand on Raven's shoulder. "All I know is that when your parents got better and when we came to pick you up, Fiona was so close to death. No longer after we left that day, she died."

"Really?" Raven asked with wide eyes. "Th-thanks, Grandma. That's all I needed to know. Is it okay if I go to the library? I've got to check out some books for an assignment at school, anyway."

Granny Helen smiled sadly at her and nodded. Raven smiled back kissed her check before she got up and went out the door calling, "C'mon, Bridget."

Bridget let out a loud honk and scurried off of the couch and out the door to follow her inventor.

* * *

"'_History of Thneedville,' 'Past Businessmen of Thneedville,' _and _'Skeleton Key,'_" Raven named off, taking her books up to the front desk of the Thneedville Public Library. She placed them on the front desk for the elderly librarian, Mr. Yoller, to check out.

"Good afternoon, Raven," He smiled a wrinkled smile at her as he took the three books to scan. "These aren't your normal books. Another report at school?"

"You got it, Yol," Raven smiled. "Minus _Skeleton Key_, of course. Can't get enough of those mystery adventure novels."

"No you can't, Raven. No you can't," Mr. Yoller handed the three books over to the pre-teen. "There you go. Be sure to have those back two weeks from today."

"School's ending that same week for summer. I'll drop them off afterwards," Raven nodded walking out the door with a small wave.

"Come on, Bridget," she said, patting the back of her thigh. "Let's go to the cafe today. I'm feeling a little peckish."

Bridget honked and followed her at a vigorous pace. No traffic was going on, so it was only a few good strides until the two got from the library entrance to the O'Hare Cafe.

"Hey, Kevin," Raven said as she nonchalantly walked up to the front counter. "Can I get the usual?"

Kevin, a boy about the age of sixteen with brown hair and green eyes, blew out a breath of air, but mostly in amusement. He held out his hand and said, "That'll be five twenty-two."

"Rough day?" Raven chuckled, digging into her pocket and handed him the money.

"No, just bored to tears. It's been so slow today," Kevin exasperated. He got a good look at the books in her arms and raised an eyebrow, "Uh, doing a bit of light reading there, are ya?"

"A little. Something's come up and I'm doing a bit of research," Raven explained, leaning onto the front counter as she waited for her food.

"Really. Mind letting me in on it? I get off in twenty minutes. Maybe I can help," Kevin set handed over her food on a tray. It consisted of medium basket of bacon and cheddar fries and a mug of hot chocolate with marshmallows of course.

"In that case, mind throwing in a sundae. Heavy on the whipped cream," Bridget tugged on Raven's pant leg and looked up pleadingly at her creator. Raven sighed, "And ya got any fryer grease your done using?"

Kevin grinned and nodded, "I'll bring some over when I get off work. And here's your sundae," he finished, setting down the sundae onto her tray.

"And here's the money for it. Keep the change," Raven smiled and took the tray over to the table in the far corner of the cafe. Bridget sat on the inside of the booth and Raven took a seat next to her.

Taking a bite of a french fry covered in cheese, she opened the first book, which was _History of Thneedville_, and started to skim along the pages, looking for something useful. Ten minutes later, she still had nothing useful to her. She took a break and enjoyed some of her fries and finished about half of her sundae before it really started to melt.

"Figures that a book from 'O'Hare Inc.' would have corrupt information."

"Need a hand?" Kevin asked, still in his uniform but obviously off of work. In his hand, he carried a metal bucked filled nearly to the brim with used fryer grease. He set it up onto the table in front of Bridget and smiled, "There ya go, Bridget. Enjoy."

Bridget honked excitedly and began to suck at the greasy liquid in the bucket. Kevin took the other book she had, _Past Businessmen of Thneedville_, and flipped through the aged pages. This book was considerably older than any other book either of them had ever seen.

"So, why'd you get these books, anyway? I don't think even _I _had to write on a report on this stuff," Kevin asked, taking a sip on a soda before flipping to another page.

Raven looked around cautiously and pulled a folded up piece of paper out of her teal jacket. She opened it up flat and slid it across the booth table for him to see. Kevin raised an eyebrow and used his fingertips to keep the paper on the table as he skimmed it over.

"It's a will," he stated looking back up at her.

"Read it," Raven said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world to do. Which it was.

He skimmed over the paper and looked back up, "I don't get it."

"Did you even read to the bottom?" Raven asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Raven, what's going on?" He asked getting impatient.

"Just read the last sentence," she frowned and rolled her eyes.

Kevin's eyes skimmed down to the last sentence. His eyebrows instantly arched up high as he lifted his head to look at Raven.

"Is this for real?" He asked her seriously.

Raven nodded put a finger to her lips, "Keep it down, why don'tcha?! I don't want this getting out...yet."

"What did your parents say when they saw it?"

"Uh...about that," Raven nervously started. "My parents and grandparents don't really know I know about this. Or that I have the will. And it will stay that way, right?"

"And when would this come up in a conversation?" Kevin raised an eyebrow, but it was good enough to know her secret was safe. He took another sip of his soda before saying, "So, that doesn't explain why you have these books."

"That's another thing," she rubbed the back of her neck. "He kinda lives out of town and we...well, we talked."

"You went out of town?!" He whisper shouted.

"Shut up!" Raven slapped his cheek not too hard, but enough to get her point across. "What part of 'nobody can know' do you not understand?!"

"Sorry! Sorry!" He put his hands up in surrender. "But seriously, you went out of town?!" he asked in a more hushed tone.

"Yes! If you had known me from the first time you babysat me when I was six, you should know me good enough that I never let things like this go unsolved!"

"Really though? Just to meet some old geezer you hardly even know just because your dead grandma did?"

"Yeah. What of it?" Raven narrowed her eyes at him. "Look. Yes, I went to see him outside of town and you know what? He may be an 'old geezer,' but he has to be the coolest 'geezer' I've ever met."

Kevin blinked, "Oh-kay. So, the books...?"

"When I talked to him, he said he owned a successful business a while back. I figured if that business was successful, it would be in one of these books."

"Uh huh," Kevin blandly let his eyes go back to the ancient book and flipped to the next page. That was where and when his eyes went wide with horrifying shock.

"Uh, Raven?" He started, not taking his eyes off of the page. "I don't want to sound like a creep or anything, but this guy looks just like you."

"What're you talking about now?" Raven turned to him irritably.

"I'm serious! Look!" Kevin turned the book over and pushed it to her. Raven took the book and glanced down at the pages.

"Oh. my. god," Raven's eyes widened dramatically and her jaw hung agape.

Bridget took her head from the grease bucket and looked over the page as well. She squawked, startled at the looks of the man on the page.

As far as the three at the booth were concerned, the man _did _look like Raven. Exceedingly so with differences in appearances, of course. The man's shaggy hair was as black as midnight, just like Raven's, only his was shorter not going past the top of his neck while Raven's went just to her shoulders. His face was rounder than Raven's, but not by much. It was also noted that the man was quite tall. It was only a picture, but the man appeared to be about six foot six inches tall. The most distinguishing feature that the three at the table were the man's eyes. Just like Raven's, they were a light sky blue and seemed to be filled to the brim with confidence.

Raven furthered her vision from the similarities and looked at the big picture. The man was standing in front of a factory and seemed very proud of it. The big sign on the building only said one word: _Thneed._

From top to bottom, the man wore a black stove pipe top hat over his midnight hair. He also wore a green pinstriped suit with a matching tailcoat, black and green striped tie, and a white dress shirt underneath the green.

"This is him!" Raven suddenly exclaimed, pointing a finger at the top of the page. "The Once-ler! This is him."

"Dang," Kevin said astounded. "Not bad for a guy in his early twenties."

"What makes you think he's in his early twenties?" Raven pointed out. She skimmed over the first few sentences and looked at him annoyingly. "Okay, you're right."

_"The Once-ler, only being twenty-three, is probably the most successful businessman ever known in Thneedville history. Why? Because he was also the first. His valuable, million-use product and invention, the Thneed, was constantly popular from when the company started to when_ _it suddenly crashed and burned to the ground for unknown reasons nearly a year and a half later."_

"How did it crash?" Kevin asked nobody in particular.

"I don't know, Kevin. If someone knew, then the book would have the answer," Raven sarcastically replied. She rolled her eyes and mumbled, "Stupid teenage boys can't even see what's right in front of their faces."

_"Some say that the fall of his company was connected to the mysterious Truffula Trees. These beautiful plants were said to grow in the valley in which the factory was built to make the Once-ler's Thneeds. While the connection remains a mystery, The Once-ler only said this: For those who could bring him fifteen cents, a nail, and the shell of a great, great, great grandfather snail, he would tell the secret of the downfall of his great empire for their ears and theirs alone."_


End file.
